A year and a half ago I had the honor of interviewing Team Novo Nordisk member Stephen England at the New Jersey Marathon. I was able to interview Stephen for about ten minutes and then spend a good half hour walking with him and his dog Miles. In that half hour I learned so much about Stephen the person. After taking a photo together and exchanging info I said to Stephen "You have inspired me to run an Ultra Marathon. The first Ultra that I run I want to make sure you are running it as well." Stephen inspired me that much and taught me that ultra running is a lot like life, it isn't easy but if you enjoy every step and every milestone you will forget about the bad things that happen.

This past weekend Stephen ran one of the toughest Ultra Marathons in the world!! The Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc or UTMB. It has a distance of approximately 166 kilometres (103 mi), and a total elevation gain of around 9,600 m. I look up to Stephen as a runner, person with diabetes and as a friend. Before the race began I was nervous for Stephen, I know how much running means to him and why he pushes himself so hard. I knew that he wouldn't quit but was worried what the conditions and elevation would do to him. As the race began I kept the UTMB page open on my phone and on my computer at home. Being away all weekend I was constantly checking how he was doing. I felt like I was following a family member.

Stephen would finish and did so in very impressive fashion. I couldn't be happier for Stephen, I'm also happy for his entire family. It is a family event when you are running ultras, a lot of credit should go to Stephens wife, parents and support staff while he ran the race. As runners we have it easy, it is tough for loved ones to watch the people they love and not worry. Stephen is a true inspiration to myself and thousands of other ultra marathon runners that are living with diabetes. To read the official race report from Team Novo Nordisk click here